The present invention relates to telephones, and, more particularly, to a mechanism for setting a telephone to an on-hook state with the handset oriented in different positions.
Corded telephones, such as trim line or slim line telephones, typically require the handset to be positioned in the cradle of a base of the telephone in order to hang up the telephone. The handsets in such positions have the operative components, that is, the mouthpiece microphone, the earpiece speaker, and the numerical keypad facing toward the base, and thus inaccessible to the user when the telephone is on-hook
To implement speakerphone functions, additional circuitry is required for the telephone to replace the operative components of the handset which, when on-hook, cannot be used. Accordingly, duplication of equipment and needless complexity is introduced into telephones with speakerphone functions.
Thus, there is a need to implement a speakerphone in a telephone without extra components while the handset is cradled in the base.